Everlasting regret
by TheDarkeningWhiteSky
Summary: After the war, Ichigo is left shaken as Rukia fights for her life but something is troubling Ichigo to no end, what can he do to stop the torment and help Rukia?
1. Chapter 1

OK! My first Ichigo and Rukia Fanfic! It's a link up to my other fanfic: I could've saved her.

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What if she never wakes up? What if she's gone forever?

These were the thoughts of a very anxious Ichigo. These were the thoughts which plagued him most; these were the thoughts which Ichigo feared.

It was a few months after the war, but the effects still lingered for quite some time after. Ichigo had spent most of his time at the recovery centre at the squad four grounds. He didn't like staying there but he had no choice, she was there. The girl who'd changed his life, the girl who he'd risked his life for on numerous accounts and would continue to do so, the girl who he secretly- loved.

Sitting next to a pure white ward bed, Ichigo slumped in his chair, asleep. He was slouching in a wicker chair resting his head on one arm snoozing away. He'd been there most of the day; in fact he had been there the whole day, and the day before that and also the day before that. He needed to stay by her side; he wanted to stay by her side.

In result of the serious injuries inflicted on her during her conflict in Hueco Mundo, Rukia had fallen into a coma and had remained that way since. Everyone could understand why Rukia pushed herself so hard in her fight and for the many reasons it had done a huge amount of damage on her. It was apparent that she was hanging on with the little spirit energy she had left. No one, not even squad fours best, knew if she would be able to hold on.

On the night Ichigo defeated Aizen, no matter how serious his injuries were, the first person he wanted to see was Rukia. He rushed off after making sure Keigo and the rest of the gang were fine. He didn't stop to get himself checked; he swiftly made his way straight to Rukia's room. He placed himself in the unoccupied chair next to her bed and had dominated the seat ever since.

It was a painful sight watching his closest friend fight for her life; fight alone, without his assistance. It was excruciating knowing he could do nothing to help her; she was completely on her own and there was nothing he could do to change that.

Throughout his life, Ichigo had only a few things to regret. The only thing he regretted most was letting Rukia get hurt the way she had. The things he could've done to prevent what had happened could've saved her from this ache, and maybe have spared Ichigo from the pain.

He woke slowly stretching slightly and groaning quietly. He slumped back into his chair and looked around the ward. He saw many of the stereotypical things you'd find like a vase of flowers on the cupboard next to the bed; a bunch of cards with 'get well soon' printed across the front and other good wish titles. He turned his face to the main article of the room. The bed lay in the centre of the room sticking out like a sore thumb; its pristine whiteness was a complete contrast the dark brown wood of the floor. The metal frame was gleaming against the morning sun and the light reflected into Ichigo's eyes making it a little harder to take in the scenery.

He stood up reluctantly and cracked his back. He sighed, ran his hand through his hair then sat back down. Turning his chair to face the bed he studied the being under the sheets. The light shone through the window onto Rukia's pale face. Her eyes weren't open but he still remembered the special shaded colour they'd always been. Her face was placid and peaceful but he could tell that inside she was suffering a great deal. He wanted to look away but he couldn't, he wanted to study her just as much. He wanted her to wake up just as he watched her breathe, but he knew all too well that no matter how much he wished it she wasn't going to awaken anytime soon...

Ichigo looked at his hands and saw the cuts and bruises, the evidence of past battles haunting him. He stroked the longest scar on his right hand; it ran up his whole hand to the top of his wrist. He looked back at the sleeping girl and sighed deeply. Reaching out he took hold of her hand and squeezed it lightly. Her skin felt so soft and sensitive under his touch; slowly he stroked her hand with his thumb. He looked at her face again, it hadn't changed. He pulled her hand up and kissed the top of it gently. Everyday Ichigo went through this same almost ritual-like plan, in hope that it may stir her slightly. So far all it had done was sadden Ichigo further as everyday his hopes would rise only to be smashed to pieces before him. He hoped one day she would awaken, so he could tell her. So he could say the things he never had the guts to say before. This scare had shocked into him that life can be taken away from you at any moment. 'If you're going to live life, make sure you live each day like it was your last' that was a quote Rukia had once said to him, oh the irony.

I have to tell her he swore to himself, I'm going to as soon as she wakes up, I'll tell her. He'd never told her the secret; he hadn't shared it with anyone, not even his little sister Karin. He loved Rukia; he loved her with all the passion his heart could muster.

A loud crack snapped Ichigo back into reality and he looked toward the door, it was a squad four member. She walked over to the bed after closing the door softly and smiled sympathetically toward Ichigo. He only half smiled back, still holding Rukia's hand. She was quite tall, long brown hair which flowed freely down her back. Her face was well built, no need for make-up she had natural beauty and wasn't afraid to show it.

"I wouldn't worry Mr. Kurosaki; she's in the best hands. If anything goes wrong then we'll have the best in here to help" She tried her best to be comforting but it was to no avail.

"Thanks I wouldn't want anything less" He looked down at her and watched her breathe.

"Listen, the others have decided that the best thing for you to do is to...well return home- to your family" She looked at him still, but this time with more concern for him than for Rukia.

"Wha...what? I can't do that, I have to stay by her side in case she wakes up!"

"Look we'll send a messenger over when we see any sign of movement but we're really worried about you, how about you go home, get some rest and then come visit again huh?" She asked smiling caringly. The option did seem tempting but what if something happens? He won't be there. Then he remembered the woman's promise, he stood up and looked down at Rukia. She was just lying there so peacefully with almost an angelic-like smile. Sighing in defeat he nodded and left the ward getting one last glance at her before making his departure.

...

A little depressing I know but it'll get better! I promise! Thanks for reading good chums!


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry guys that I didn't update sooner, I was camping though I was meant to be gone for a week I ended up getting a throat infection and came home two days early cause I can't speak as I have no voice :P

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Ichigo took as long as he possibly could to return to the living world. He remained lingering by the door of Rukia's ward for quite a while after the nurse had closed it. He placed his hand on the wooden frame and looked into the room through the tiny window carved into the door. He kept his vision focused on the girl in the bed. He wished so hard that she would wake up, that she'd sit up and he could see her signature smile. He wished that she would wake up so he could declare his feelings.

He sighed and turned his face away from the door, removing his hand from the frame. Slowly he walked out of the squad four grounds. He didn't want cause a nuisance even if he wanted to stay by Rukia's side all day. Walking around Sereitei, he spotted the usual characters doing the usual things on these usual days that he was so familiar with. Yawning loudly and stretching he sat himself down under a cherry blossom tree leaning his back against the bark. He'd spent all his time inside that one room that he'd forgotten how beautiful the outside world was. The blue of the sky was so vibrant it was almost like it was smiling down on Ichigo. Clouds slowly drifted across the blue atmosphere in various shapes and sizes. He could've sat there all day, trying to forget his troubles watching the clouds roll by. He could have- if it wasn't for the eleventh division captain coming to pester him for another sparring match. Why did he have to bother me now? Well Ichigo thought that's what Kenpachi'd wanted, but instead all he did was sit next to him placing his Zanpakuto on the ground. A few uncomfortable moments passed by ever so slowly.

Almost seeing through Ichigo's awkwardness, Kenpachi spoke "There's only a certain number of things one guy can love. I remember taking those things for granted" Ichigo didn't quite know what to say so he kept silent still staring at the sky, listening to the gruff voice coming from beside him "Kurosaki-san... don't make the same mistake that I did. I was told once that no thousand men can change their pasts, but it takes one man alone to change his fate" Ichigo heard the soft jingling of bells and turning his head saw Kenpachi resting his head against the tree looking toward the clouds. Blinking Ichigo copied him sighing slightly "You love her Kurosaki; it's as obvious as Abarai's tattoos" Ichigo turned to protest but was cut short by a hand in the face "Don't Kurosaki; don't regret anything you do- because in the end- it makes you who you are. But tell her; tell her before it's too late" Staring at Ichigo with stern eyes, Zaraki stood up slinging his soul cutter over his shoulders "Besides" He turned away then looked back over his shoulder smirking his usual threatening smile "You'd be crap in a sparring match if all you did was cry" Then without waiting for a response he shunpooed off to perform his captains duties.

The rest of the day went in a blur. Ichigo spent most of his time under the tree pondering Kenpachi's words. What did he mean? I can't tell her now she's...well she can't hear me. Closing his eyes and sighing, he stood up and flexed. I guess there's nothing I can do now he thought in defeat. After bidding farewell to the tree he'd made accompany with, he slowly made his way back.

Ichigo arrived in the living world not too long after eight. Yuzu must be making dinner he thought standing outside the clinic. He smelt the air and delightful scents of teriyaki chicken and sweet sticky rice intoxicated his nostrils exiting his senses. Maybe I can forget my problems at least until I've eaten thought Ichigo positively. Walking into his house the smells got stronger making Ichigo realise that he hadn't eaten in days. After staying by Rukia's side and worrying about her, he'd forgotten the basics on how to live.

"Hey, I'm home!" He yelled to no one in particular and was greeted back by a hug from waist height. He looked down and smiled wrapping his arms around said person "Hi Yuzu" He felt her grip tighten around his stomach and was grateful for having such a loving family. He felt little trickles fall down his stomach; he pulled away and looked down.

"Hey Yuzu why are you crying?" He asked wiping away her tears with his thumbs

"B...Because I missed Ichi-nii!" She wailed even louder than before causing Ichigo to shed a tear of his own. He'd spent so much time at the Soul Society that he'd lost track of time in the living world. Watching his little sister cry in front of him because she'd missed him so much, tugged at his heart. Wrapping his arms around her again he gripped her closer and made cooing noises to try and calm her.

After being greeted by Ishiin with the usual martial art move to the face Ichigo was welcomed by Karin in her usual style. They all sat down for a meal after the greetings were over and Ichigo explained about Rukia's condition. Discussing Rukia dented Ichigo's happiness but he tried not to let it show as best he could, he didn't want to worry the others. The homely feeling settled with him all night, laughter, one thing he'd missed the most. He hadn't laughed since rescuing Rukia from her execution almost a year ago. He'd been so empty almost... hollow.

They went on until the early morning, talking about what they'd been up to. Karin had become the captain of her local soccer team and had leaded them to the championships. Ichigo felt bad for not being able to go watch her play and promised her that on her next match he would tag along to cheer her on. Yuzu had been tidying and making sure the house was ship shape. She'd also been doing double shifts at the clinic resulting in her making a new friend with one of the patients.

"Hitomi Kazuko is his name, he's really very nice" Explained Yuzu with a slight blushing tint on her small cheeks. Ichigo smiled at his little family, it was great to see them doing so well without him. He couldn't help but feel guilty though, he'd spent so much time away that he'd left his family to take care of everything.

The peace was overwhelming that was until Ichigo's indicator went off, a hollow was close by. Looking over to Ishiin who nodded, he nodded back. Both of them stood up and went to the door, changing into Shinigami form they both scattered out into the night like a couple of ninjas.

"Ichigo, since you've been away there has been an outstanding number of hollows appearing around town. We haven't been able to keep up; I've had to get Karin to help too." He spoke in a serious tone whilst shunpoing next to his orange haired son. "To be honest with you, I'm glad you came, we could use you" He faced off in the direction of the spirit wave.

"Have they really been that bad?" Ichigo asked in a tone just as serious as his dad's

"Not exactly, the strength of these Hollow's is pretty weak but with the amount of them rising it's causing a huge problem in daily life" He almost had to shout over the wind. Ichigo didn't reply as he knew what was to be expected. He just carried on running with only one thing pre-occupying his mind. Rukia...

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Ok hope this chapter was as satisfying as the last one was supposedly. Thank you to all the reviewers and subscribers, I was really quite overwhelmed by the number of people on the first chapter :D Thanks guys! Let me know what to improve and to change


	3. Chapter 3

Ok, sorry for the wait guys, I started college yesterday and this is the first chance I've had to update. It may be a bit edgy and there's probably going to be quite a few mistakes but that's because its rather early in the morning in the UK so bare with me Just a question, is anyone else getting bored of the whole Aizen transforming thing in the manga? Because it's doing my head in quite badly and the whole story line is getting quite boring now :/ that and its taking longer for the episodes to come out, I give credit out to Kubo, he's an awesome artist and I would never have come up with a story line like that, but he does drag out the subject at hand. Anyway rant over :D on with the story! Oh and thanks to the subscribers and followers

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The two spent a few seconds running in the cold night air. Ichigo sided next to his dad, gently bounded from rooftop to rooftop. He could feel the fresh bitter wind biting at every piece of skin exposed to the night atmosphere. His hair rustled softly as the breeze blew almost making him shudder. His black robe followed his hair as he quickly shunpooed toward the threat awaiting them.

His mind kept on getting flashbacks, mainly of her in that room, alone. It had been a while since his last battle, in some weird way he'd missed the thrills and spills of combat. His heart raced as he thought about the last fight he'd had, the fight with Aizen. It was the most anxious fight he'd ever experienced. Most people with sense would've stopped fighting then and there, but of course, Ichigo wasn't a person who had much sense and he certainly wasn't most people. There was a thing about fighting which just made him enjoy something in life. He wasn't so sure if this was a good thing or an obsession, he often thought that maybe it was his inner hollow. He hadn't heard much from his inner hollow after using the final Getsuga Tenshou. Most nights, sitting by Rukia, he thought that his inner hollow had finally ceased. That after using nearly all of his reiatsu, he'd finally wiped out his annoying other. But then most of his power came from his inner hollow and the fact that Ichigo was still alive meant that he had to be using extra power. He had a feeling that one day his hollow would return and be even more powerful than before, but Ichigo would wait- he would wait until then.

They stopped short of a football field; it was the one which Karin had spent most of her time at. The pitch had barely any grass alive on it, it needed a desperate watering and green was not the colour shade which it appeared. Standing in the white 'o' shape in the centre of the field stood a tall dark creature. Its eyes were completely transfixed on the two shinigamis hovering on thin air. Ichigo studied its features in depth. Its mask was the shape of a normal human's head but two horns protruded out the sides which looked remarkably like ears. The eyes stood out most; they were a dark shade of red, something which strangely unnerved Ichigo. The body was well built with muscles showing themselves out for all to see. The hollow stood on all fours, almost like a frog it had two huge back legs. Though instead of frog feet, bird claws jutted out from the stubs at the bottom of its legs. Staring at the feet made him shudder as he remembered the night he defeated Grand Fisher.

Looking over he nodded at his dad almost as to say 'ready?' Ishiin in response, nodded back. Almost in sync they hovered along and touched down on the brown dead compost.

"OOOh! Feels like I have new toys to play with" Smiled the Hollow

Looking at Ishiin, Ichigo questioned the fact to why the Hollow had to feel them out rather than actually look at them. Turning back to the Hollow he bellowed out "Hollow, can you see us?" genuinely interested.

"Hehe does it matter if a blind man can see, it determines on his soul to which you judge. Fortunately for me, I HAVE NO SOUL!" It shrieked out in laughter, almost startling Ichigo with its cold words. "Well since you asked, I am indeed blind, wave and I will not see you with my eyes BUT don't think you've won yet. My eyes may not work but I sense through the ground and vibrations" It grinned its now famous grin and slammed its front arm down on the floor making the ground shudder. "Take your shot Shinigami, that is, if you're wide eyed enough to see" It laughed aloud again.

"What's with this guy?" asked Ichigo readying his soul cutter

"I'm not sure but don't threat, this one's just like all the rest- weak" At the sound of the last word the smile fell from the Hollow's mask. Everything went silent except for the sound of Ichigo and Ishiin's breath gently going in and out of their respiratory systems.

"WEAK? WHO ARE YOU CALLIN' WEAK YOU JACKASS!" screamed the Hollow down to the Soul Reapers. But its face changed so suddenly. A loud sound was coming from its mouth; it was almost a groan but also a laugh. Then a crack tore down the Hollow's mask eventually splitting it in two and falling from the dark creatures face. Ichigo and Ishiin couldn't believe it, the Hollow dispersed from in front of them.

Silence expanded around them and the wind finally brought them back to life. The night was still young and people staggered by in their drunken state. Ichigo was thankful sometimes that humans couldn't see him, sometimes he would go around and terrorise punks and thugs by picking them up off the ground. Of course from the guy afloat in the air's point of view this would seem weird since there wasn't anything holding them up, at least through the human eye.

They decided to make their way back, still wondering what could've killed the Hollow without them noticing. They didn't mention anything when they got in, it was quite late so Ichigo bid his father goodnight and trudged up to bed, knackered. He pushed open his door which looked rather battered from all the surprise attacks which had gone wrong. He stood looking into his empty room feeling empty himself. This was the first time he'd returned to the room since before the war. There was a familiar smell in the room which made him reminisce; the smell was of her- of Rukia. He couldn't bare the thought of not having her in the room with him.

He stepped in slowly, avoiding the litter and clothes scattered across the floor. He reached over and flicked on the light, brightness illuminating the room. He sighed and slumped himself on his bed, feeling the springiness under his weight. He stared up at the ceiling with his hands tucked behind his head. He had something bothering him which he couldn't put his finger on. He spent most of his time staring at the ceiling, trying to work out what the matter was. It took quite a while before he realised what was up. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bed. He then lifted up his head and stared straight forward. The closet was open, in full showing of its content. The closet was the only way he could be close to Rukia since that was where she'd spent most of her time. He stood up and walked toward the doors, he stopped short of a few centimetres away. Ichigo finally knew why he felt so empty, so- lonely. He placed his hand on the door and slid it shut looking away. It felt painful, no matter how much physical pain he'd endured, nothing could mount to the emotional pain he felt then. He looked up and remembered he'd done the same thing when leaving Rukia at the squad four grounds. He missed her, he felt so lonely without her.

He turned away and revisited his bed, lying away from the closet. Maybe he couldn't let go of the problems but maybe he could turn his back on them for now, at least...

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Ok so Im gonna head off to bed now cause like Ichigo im knackered ^^ hope you enjoyed reading it, let me know what my writings like, what i can improve what i can change etc etc thanks for reading


	4. Chapter 4

Ok people so updating again :D Thank you for the reviews and subscribers ^^ ah you guys make me happy, you don't know how exited I get when I see an email saying [[review]] Ahh sad I know but hey that's just me :D

Oh and in response to a review yes I will add in extra cute and lovey dovey stuff so bare with me :P

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Ichigo spent the night tossing and turning, agitated by the dreams torturing him. Every time a night mare ended, a new one began. This caused Ichigo to wake continuously throughout the night. By the time it was early morning, he'd given up on sleep.

He rolled over and looked at his alarm clock, two thirty a.m. He groaned, sitting up. Rubbing his eyes he listened for any signs of life in the Kurosaki household. All dead, well, asleep actually. After removing his hands from his tired eyes, Ichigo looked out the window. The randomly scattered street lights shone with as much glow as a Christmas decoration in June. Even with the dismal amount of light given off by the lamps, it made it a little easier to make some features out.

Sitting on the end of his bed he opened the window and felt the fresh morning air burst in around him. Ichigo loved the morning air it made him feel almost- alive. Slowly and carefully he perched himself on the window seal. He didn't want to fall out the window, imagine explaining how he died to the other Shinigami. 'Oh I fell out my bedroom window at half two in the morning still in my pyjamas'

Kneeling down on the frame he grabbed hold of the top part of the window. He yanked himself up performing a back flip off the ledge, landing gracefully on the roof. His landing would've put the Olympic athletes to shame, but Ichigo didn't care how or what he did. He only had one reason for being on the roof at two in the morning.

He sat down on the chilly tiles which felt icy under his touch. Resting his arms on his bent legs, Ichigo looked out into the night. Karakura town looked so different in the night, even stranger early on in the morning. The town was almost a silhouette against the moonshine. Ichigo counted thirteen lights out of the whole town, which were on. There was a cool biting wind which blew in slight intervals. It was a peaceful scene, not a voice was heard. Ichigo sighed inwardly and closed his eyes.

Rukia, before she went to soul society for her execution, would sit up there when she thought Ichigo was asleep. Little did she know that every time she went out the window, she would accidentally wake him, in the end he would just pretend to be asleep. Once he couldn't help himself and observed what she did. First off she meditated; sat in the spot Ichigo was in and breathed slowly. Then she hummed whilst looking up at the gleaming stars. The next thing surprised Ichigo; Rukia started talking to the skies but she saw it as talking to her sister. When she'd finished, Ichigo heard her sob quietly. At first this made him smirk as he thought of the embarrassing things he could ridicule her with. Then his conscience kicked in and he empathised with her as he remembered all the times he'd cried at losing his Okasan. All the times he'd needed support from his family when he lost his way. Rukia never had that she was completely on her own. At this time Ichigo found new respect for her as he realised, he could never face the world alone, she hadn't been given a choice.

Ichigo placed a hand on the cold slates next to him and almost stroked them. Opening his eyes, he looked up into the sky. The stars seemed brighter than on previous nights and this almost made Ichigo slightly happier. He laid back folding his arms behind his head. How could she sit up here all night doing nothing? He thought blinking. The chill kept biting at him even through his clothes, but Ichigo didn't care. He just wanted to feel what she had.

His eyes locked on to the brightest star, he didn't know why but out of all the stars, he felt more comforted by that particular one.

"Y'know, you shouldn't leave your bedroom window open as wide as that, you'll get bed bugs"

Startled, Ichigo sat up readying himself to fight if need be.

"It's ok son, it's only me" Ichigo relaxed as his dad sat next to him taking up the same position and lighting a cigarette. Isshin contemplated whilst taking in puffs of the toxic smoke, turning his head he saw Ichigo staring out into the distance. Taking his attention back to the cigarette he smiled "You know, your mother always thought smoking was a bad habit to have. She would constantly moan about the ash and smell being left everywhere. I gotta say though, I should've listened to her sooner, poor Yuzu has to hoover three times as much as any normal person"

Ichigo just kept staring out, he knew his dad was about to give him a lecture but he didn't care "It's strange, in a weird sort of way; smoking almost makes me feel closer to your mother odd huh? Something she hated now brings us closer..." Isshin took a drag and then breathed out the smoke "no matter where she is..."

As a child Ichigo never knew what happened to people when they passed, being young and innocent it hadn't really crossed his mind. If anyone had asked it would've been pointless because they'd get answers like "Ichigo want ice-cream!" But, when his mother died, it bought a whole new light to the situation. At first all he did was morn and cry whilst tending to his baby sisters. After he got over the worst of it, he tried asking his otou-san but Isshin would say things like 'Oh she's in a better place now' or 'She's moved to a new home' Ichigo got too curious and one day resulted in asking a passing soul. Of course this didn't help because the soul was banished to the Earth until its release from its attached place. All the information given to Ichigo was useless as he understood none of what the soul had explained being so young at the time. He felt lost for many years, he then decided to let it go and focus on helping the troubled souls in any way possible. Then of course SHE came along and changed his life, forever.

"Dad- what was life like before all- this? Before human life, children...love?" Asked Ichigo solemnly

Isshin smiled looking at his hand holding the cigarette "Life- now that's a strange concept. Of course I didn't have one in Soul Society" Isshin laughed "Don't beat Hitsugaya-taichou down, being captain of the tenth squad is no joke, credit goes out to the little guy doing it at such a young age. No wonder he's the prodigy of Gotei thirteen. Even with the responsibility you need to lighten up, you need to get him to do that sometime, I've never seen him having fun. Life at Soul Society is hard, you and I both know that" Isshin took another drag "Lots of work meant less time for myself, but then again the duty of a soul reaper isn't to protect himself. I got hardly any spare time, spent most of it filing papers. Then I was resigned to the living world where the papers were replaced by Hollows and the filing with fighting" Isshin scratched at his chin "Then- I met your mother" He looked out into the morning shade still clinging onto the now damp cigarette. He sat quietly as Ichigo shifted a little looking up into the star filled abyss. "Ichigo..." Isshin looked at him with harsh eyes. Ichigo could feel a case of Déjà vu "The rules don't apply to you, you can love who you wish, I didn't have that freedom" He turned back toward the town "Of course- I wasn't very good at obeying rules" He stood up and flicked the now stub into the guttering. "But don't lie to yourself and the rest of the world; admit to the one you love. It may just be the best thing you do..." With that Isshin jumped off the roof and Ichigo was once again left alone in the cold, in the same spot he'd sat in all night. He could feel for his father, having loved and lost. But Ichigo still had a slim chance of hope. But for Isshin, his one and only love, was gone- forever...

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Ok people a few things to clear up, am I right in saying that its unknown about Ishiin's past and that I can make him any captain I wish? Second otou-san means father and okasama means mother. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Sooo sorry for the late update, I had originally written this a while back but settling into college has taken up most of my time. So yeah, here's the (late) update

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The morning came quicker than Ichigo'd expected. He remained lying on the rooftop, watching the sun rise. His dad's words had rattled him more than Zarakis had. Maybe it was because Isshin was family, and blood related, he didn't know. It could've been because his father had firsthand experience which Ichigo could relate to.

Ichigo sat watching Karakura come to life gradually. The thirteen lights had all been switched off now as the sun warmed the air with its vibrant rays. Now that people were waking from their sleep, it would've been weird if they saw a random boy sitting on his roof in his pyjamas. He stood up and almost slipped. Just managing to stop himself, Ichigo sighed in relief. Jumping down off the roof, Ichigo swung from the guttering and back through his window. He landed softly on his bland carpet barely making a sound. His room looked just as bare as he'd left it the night before. The same coloured walls, the same plain bed, the same tidy desk. Then again it had only been a night, but it'd felt like a week up on the roof.

He sat down on his bed, wiped at his brow and squinted at the sunlight blaring through the window. Rukia often teased him that if the wind changed direction when he frowned, his face would remain the same and he'd get so many wrinkles that his face would fall to the floor. Ichigo never took too well to those comments and resulted in calling her the infamous 'midget' nickname. Though this had never pleased Rukia so SHE resulted in kicking him in the shin. This was a ritual they would go through continuously; he missed it in a weird way. Their arguments were a sign of true friendship, a sign that they were meant for each other. They were the ying and yang of Karakura town; you wouldn't have seen one without the other.

He leaned over and looked at his clock, nine forty five. He decided that sleep was a far gone option and got up. Picking up a pair of baggy shorts, he changed out of his pyjamas. A blue zip up hoody and a white tank top occupied the top half of his body. Stuffing his hands into his hoody pockets, he walked out of his bedroom picking up his trainers on his way.

Ten minutes is all it took for Ichigo to get ready; he had decided to go for a jog to take his mind off things. Pulling his trainers on, he took a minute to breathe then opened the door and started off down the road. Bounding up and down he felt the fresh air wisp passed. He didn't have any music on but he liked the sound of the wind blowing by, it made him think he was running the speed of sound.

Ichigo ended up losing himself in the moment and instead of running, he almost shunpooed out of town. He stopped short of the soccerfeild in which his dad and he had watched the Hollow die at. Breathing furiously he bent over and took deep breathes to reduce his inhalation. He stood up straight and stretched his back. Relaxing himself he took in the scenery and people around him. It was a nice day, the sun was now high in the sky and a pleasant breeze flew by smoothly. The vibrant sounds of birds, dogs and children's laughers and cries made Ichigo think. Would everything be this peaceful if the public knew about the Hollows?

He started letting his feet wonder to wherever they pleased. He kept studying the surroundings, the scenes which stood out most. Looking at his phone he saw that an hour and a half had passed by. Children rushed near Ichigo after a Frisbee making him smile as they laughed and giggled. Really what made him smile most was that one of them tripped and fell into a sandpit. Ichigo always had a terrible sense of humour, sometimes Rukia had been disgusted by it. Walking over he helped the little boy up and stopped him crying.

"Hey don't cry, tell you what, why don't you go buy yourself some Pocky?" He handed the child some money and smirked as the boy ran off to tell his Okasan about the recent event. He followed the boy with his eyes wearing the same smile. Eventually he met eyes with the boys mother and saw her mouth her thanks. Ichigo just nodded back and started walking, he felt strangely- good.

Still grinning he walked up to the soccerfeild and watched the children playing. He watched as the ball flew from one side of the pitch to the other. Then he noticed a familiar face and observed as they controlled the ball with exceptional skill. It didn't take long before the ball was in the net on the opposite side of the pitch. Smiling he walked round the side of the pitch following the person.

"HEY!" He yelled whilst waving a hand in the air. His grin broadened as the person ran up to him.

"Hi Ichigo" Karin beamed at his older brother. She passed him the ball and hugged him.

"Hey Karin, nice goal there" Ichigo felt great, he wasn't sure why but he felt on top of the world. Fiddling with the ball Ichigo kept his eyes focused. "Do you have much planned today, I was thinking about taking you out for a coffee or something..." He continued looking at the ball.

"Erm I can meet you around four if that's ok?" Karin said almost surprised at her brothers' offer.

"Sure, that'd be nice" Ichigo was still smiling and felt happy for the first time in a while, a warm feeling creeping up his stomach.

The two decided to walk home together as Karin was meant to be going shopping with Yuzu as soon as she got back. They chatted about random things like school, the things Ichigo had missed out on, and his life in Sereitei. Then the subject changed.

"Ichigo, do...do you ha...have feelings for Kuchiki-san?" Karin kept her eyes adverted from his as he looked at her blankly.

"Where...did that question come from?" Asked Ichigo whilst stuttering

"Well I heard you and Otousan on the roof last night, and well- do you?" this time she looked at him demandingly.

Ichigo looked at her blankly still then turned away, face tinting slightly. Why should he tell her the truth, it wouldn't matter anyway. Almost instantly an image of his father and mother flashed into his mind, both of them so happy and- in love. Silence remained for a while, awkwardness rose from within. Sighing in defeat, he nodded.

"I knew it" Karin broke the silence and smirked

"What?" bellowed Ichigo "You say nothing ok? NOTHING!"

...

Thank you for reading! Ok so this is the beginning of Ichigo's rise to happiness :D *cheers* R and R yadda yadda you know the drill, Sending love out to the readers


	6. Chapter 6

Heey again people, I feel that I have been rejecting my other stories so I may either delete one of them or put this one on hold for a bit I haven't decided yet but hey ho.

Ichigo felt good for the time being, he spent most of the day grinning maniacally to himself. Feeling on top of the world, he made his way toward his old school. The day seemed to be bright and lively, much to Ichigos delight. The sun shone greatly and loud noises chirped up every now and again.

Karakura high still looks the same, same features, same boring colours thought Ichigo as he walked through the grounds, hands in his pockets. Smiling he stopped short of the entrance. The doors towered over him slightly. Strange, these doors used to be huge back in the day, back when things were normal... Ichigo's thoughts were restless as he thought of all the cheery memories he'd shared in the scraggy building. I wonder if the insides are still the same, He thought placing a hand on the door and pushing it open slightly.

All of Ichigos friends still attended Karakura high. It had only been a few months after the Hougyoku had claimed Aizen but Keigo and the rest had already returned to school. They may have known what had happened that day but the rest of the world didn't. They decided it would be best if they went on as normal, the only thing they couldn't explain was the disappearance of a certain orange haired young man.

The hallways were as clear as a whistle (A/N cheesy I know) there wasn't a soul in sight. Lessons must have already started thought Ichigo, they're probably in maths. I wonder how much work I have to catch up on. That startled him, even after a life-threatening war Ichigo was worrying about school work. He smiled, well that just proves how much school sucks, he mocked. Pushing past the door slowly, his smile broadened as he spotted the usual features like the scummy lockers with the dents and broken locks.

The clock hit one and then a bell rang almost making Ichigo jump from his skin. Since the combat Ichigo had become even more cautious, you could've mistaken him for a skitsofrenic. He had never been easy to scare but as the days drew on, his nerves worsened. Of course not many things had made him jump in Rukia's ward since he was the only thing that ever moved.

"Rukia..." He missed her now that he thought about her. A sudden cannonball of misery made his high spirits drop a few feet. He wanted to see her, to tell her about his visit back so far. He wanted to tell her about Kei...

"ICHIGOOO!~" He barely had time to react before he was plummeted to the floor. A heavy weight was squashing him, well a person was squashing him as they remained sat on him crying into his chest. Groaning he tried pushing the person away, after failing for the third time he just laughed.

"Hi Keigo" feeling the cannonball disintegrate, he smiled even greater than before.

Still crying Keigo began to cuddle Ichigo. It was short lived as a foot sent him flying a few meters into a nearby classroom. Looking up, Ichigo saw an enraged Tatsuki watching Keigo fly. Smirking he sat up. "I see you two still get on like a house on fire"

"Hey don't push your luck Kurosaki, my foot works better when the targets on the floor" Tatsuki growled at him with fists clenched. Worry started working its way through Ichigo as he winced at the butch girls' threat. "Well I see that you're still as gullible as ever" She laughed holding out a hand to Ichigo. All fears suddenly dropped as he grabbed hold of her hand and felt her strength pull him up. "It's great to see you again Ichigo" Smiled Tatsuki modestly.

"Same, it's been real lonely without you guys" Replied Ichigo in an honest tone.

"I...Ichigo?" A small and innocent voice squeaked from behind him. Turning around he saw the vibrant orange hair that belonged to Orihime.

"Hi Inoue ho..." He couldn't finish as he, yet again, found himself on the floor, this time with Orihime crying into his chest.

"I...thought...I'd...lost...you!" she gasped between sobs. He felt her grip tightly on to his hoody, she's shaking Ichigo noted.

"Hey hey, you can't get rid of me that easy" He smiled sympathetically.

"But...but...you...weren't...here!"

"I know but I am now so...um stop crying yeah?" He sat up and brushed away the nodding girls' tears.

"Hey Ichigo" A low but steady voice erupted from behind him. Following the outstretched hand he placed the voice to a face. He didn't really need to since he knew straight away who the distinct voice belonged to.

"Hey Chad" Standing up and brushing himself down, he studied the group before him. There are three missing he thought. "Where are Mizuiro and Uryuu?"

"I'm right here soul reaper" Ichigo turned and saw the Quincy pushing his infamous glasses up the bridge of his nose, the light reflecting off them, into Ichigos eyes.

"And I'm next to him" Came a cheerful voice from quite a small person. "Hi Ichigo" beamed Mizuiro.

"Guys... It's been a while huh? You all look a little different" noted Ichigo.

"You can hardly announce that Kurosaki-san, you don't look anything like you used to, look at your hair, its grown longer. You can almost plat it!" Exclaimed Inoue. Laughing Ichigo scratched the back of his head and just as she'd said, he could feel his hair almost reach his shoulders.

"Well I guess I can't talk eh?" He almost blushed. "Anyway are you guys off for lunch? Do you mind if I join?" He hadn't forgotten the third person missing...

"Sure, we were going to grab a coffee, you can tag along if you like. You can fill us in on where you've been and what you've been up to whilst you weren't here. There had better be a good reason..." Warned Tatsuki playfully. That third person should be here, here with us thought Ichigo...

"Ha yeah I will, shall we go then?" They should be here laughing...

"Yeah! I want a chocolate and cheese coffee!" yelled Inoue out the school doors. That person...needs me

"Ok lets go" Ichigo smiled and started walking. Inside he was breaking...

Rukia...


	7. Chapter 7

Ok I've decided to delete my other stories so I can focus on this for now so if you're looking for 'I could've saved her' it won't be there but I shall continue it when I get nearer the end of this story so no threats! :D

"So when did you get back? What happened whilst you were there? Did you say hi to Rangiku for me? How's Rukia doing? Is the food in Sereitei any good? What are the sunsets like there?"

"Orihime stop!" Laughed Ichigo putting a hand on her shoulder "Breathe, if you don't they'll probably blame me for your death, making you ask so many questions" He joked. The group had been making their way to the local coffee shop, along the travels Inoue had be interrogating him on his where abouts and such. No matter how much he kept saying 'I'll tell you when we get there' she would continue to ask questions.

"But I want to know now Ichii!" Squealed Orihime clenching her fists and stamping on the floor.

"But why I mean we're, like, a few seconds away from the shop"

"But!... wait, we are?" Her face looked blank for a second "Ok then!" she beamed. Like Ichigo had said it only took them a few seconds to reach their desired destination. The shop was small and it didn't grab too much attention unless on weekends when it would take an hour just to grab a napkin. The shop looked like an average cafe, nice sign on the top, pleasant touches like potted plants scattered the insides. A couple of plants dangled from the sign above giving a homely feel to the place.

Opening the door released a burst of sweet smells of cakes and various types of tea. A few bustling noises emitted from different areas of the room. They all filed in through the small doorway, Ichigo being the last to enter. They followed the waiter over to a big table and sat down. Keigo and Inoue argued over who sat next to Ichigo whilst Uryuu pulled out a seat for Tatsuki. Smiling at the scene, Ichigo asked who wanted what and stalked over to the cashier to order.

"Hello and welcome to the tea house, may I take your order?" perked a friendly waiter.

"Hi, can I have four teas and two hot chocolates?" Ichigos mind was elsewhere and he had forgotten everything his friends had ordered.

"Chocolate Supreme or just plain chocolate?" Asked the cashier whilst typing something into the till.

"Hmm I'll have whatever you recommend" replied a very distracted Ichigo.

"Coming up sir, we'll bring them to your table when they're ready" the cashier smiled at him and he nodded in return. His concentration drifted again as he stood at the desk for a few moments after.

"Um sir, hello?" The cashiers' voice woke him out of his trance and he flustered slightly rubbing the back of his head.

"S...sorry my mind was wondering" He said after bowing in apology to the waiter who only laughed a little.

Ichigo turned around and watched his friends with a slight smile on his face. Sado was sitting quietly on the side with Mizuiro talking about how stupid Keigo was. Unfortunately Keigo didn't take too lightly on this and started protesting, loudly only to fall backwards off his chair. The group burst into laughter making Ichigo laugh to.

He'd missed things like that, things that made him laugh. He'd missed his friends. There was one thing that kept him together throughout the tough times and that was the love he had for his friends.

"Hey Ichigo, are you coming over?" Orihime exclaimed as she waved at him

"Yeah I'm coming" He beamed back. Grabbing a chair and sitting down (next to Keigo which upset Orihime greatly) he started explaining where he'd been and what had happened. After a while it was clear why Ichigo didn't want to talk about it in school.

"Oh no! Poor Kuchiki-san!" yelled Inoue in shock and horror

"I agree, I hope she awakens soon" expressed a worried Ishida

"Yeah, I hope she does too" Said a rather emotional Chad. Ichigo remained silent looking into the cup of hot chocolate which had been delivered whilst he'd explained Rukia's condition. Keigo had surprisingly understood when to speak up and when to stop his mischief. Mizuiro had also kept quiet during Ichigos explanation only moving to comfort Ichigo a little, placing a hand on his shoulder. The whole group didn't know what to say or do.

"Here's your bill, guys" The chirpy cashier placed down a plate with the receipt on top breaking the awkward silence. Everyone in the group was relieved when she came over, rendering someone the job of grabbing the full attention of everyone in the group.

"Oh I'll get this guys" Ichigo said pulling out his wallet

"No let me, my treat" Keigo said putting a hand on Ichigos wallet.

"No I owe you guys for being away so long, let this be a little repayment say" Ichigo said smiling slightly. He pulled out some money and placed it on the plate making sure there was enough for a tip. Standing up he took the plate to the till and paid the check. Making his way back to meet the others, he felt the usual beeper go off inside his pocket.

Surprisingly it wasn't coming from his Hollow tablet, but from his mobile. Flipping it open he could see a little brown envelope on the top right hand corner of his screen.. Remembering the squad four nurses promise he felt his heart drop and his mind blank as he braced himself for the worst. Clicking open his inbox he saw '1 new message' Oh man please, please let Rukia be alright, don't let her have stirred or awaken. Please let nothing bad happen to her and please don't let her awaken, not without me...

'Hi Ichigo, heard you were back in town, we need a chat

Regards

Urahara'

What?... What?, Ichigo felt like throwing the phone to the floor and stamping on it a thousand times.


	8. Chapter 8

Well, I can say I've been so bored this month that writing fanfic is just the priority of my life so far! Thank you so much for your encouraging reviews ^^ they mean so much to me. Keep them coming, oh and feel free on commenting on things I need to adjust, improve, change etc criticism is my best medicine so yeah thanks guys! Giving love out to all my readers (one more thing, does anyone know of someone [preferably Japanese] who wants a penpal because I really want to learn Japanese and what better way than to learn from someone of origin :D so yeah if you know anyone pm me or mention in your reviews etc, thankyou)

Frustrated, Ichigo slumped in his chair next to an ecstatic Keigo who started singing aloud about his drink to try and lighten the mood.

"Ichigo~ don't you think this drink is good, the only thing that's missing is some food~ what do you wa..." A punch to the face ended Keigos frantic subject change, Ichigo really didn't feel up to his antics. Falling backwards off his chair again, Keigo wailed as pain surged through his face. Without looking down at Keigo Ichigo could hear him cry. "Why Ichigo? Why? All I wanted was to make people happy...is that such a bad thing?" Sobbed Keigo with a rather odd purple face, still lying on the floor.

Looking over the table Mizuiro shook his head. 'You'd think he'd know when to shut up' He thought pitifully. Sitting back down, he could feel something in the air pulse. Confusion struck him as a headache suddenly split across his forehead. He groaned loudly and started rubbing his head.

"What's wrong Mizuiro?" Asked Inoue with her moronic features showing. Whilst Ichigo had been yelling at Keigo for being a 'dense, idiotic fool' Orihime had been studying the rest of the group. Noticing nothing special her attention spread to Mizuiro who was cradling his head tightly. All of a sudden a pulse flew across her senses, awakening them. Looking over to Ichigo she saw that he was still arguing with Keigo 'What shall I do? Maybe I can handle this on my own' she thought bravely. 'Yeah, I can do this, the Hollows these days aren't so tough, I can take this one on' She smiled and inside thought highly of herself.

"Erm I just need to... use the little shojo room" she beamed trying to act as natural as possible. Her performance was flawless (in her mind). Standing up she bowed down to the rest of the group and scurried towards the exit.

Completely oblivious the others carried on trying to pull Ichigo away before the temptation to kill Keigo grew too great. Well, they _were_ completely oblivious until there was a huge crash as Orihime tripped and fell into a nearby table. Turning around the others saw her lying face down in some guys lap on the floor, with coffee steaming from her hair.

"Inoue!" shouted Ichigo as he rushed over to help her, grabbing a few napkins on the way. He bent down and lifted her up a little, rolling her off of the man's lap. Apologising to the man he picked up the now unconscious orange haired girl. Nodding to Tatsuki to say 'Won't be a moment' he walked out the door carrying Orihime in his arms leaving the gang to tidy up the left behind mess.

Wow she's getting heavier thought Ichigo as he placed her down on her bed in her flat. After what seemed like an extreme walk Ichigo had finally made it to her flat, problem was, she didn't have a key. Not wanting to hang around, he kicked the door in. Not really the best idea Ichigo'd had but it got him in so that was one less problem to deal with. Of course the broken door added to the problems.

Looking at her made him realise how much she'd changed whilst he'd been away. Her face was broader and her hair had grown. She still wore the same hair clips, whether or not this was because they were the source of her power or that her brother had given them to her. Her fashion sense had always bemused Ichigo, quite like his fathers' choice of paint for the outside of the Kurosaki clinic (A/N pink and yellow in case you're wondering). Her clothes often matched her taste for foods. It was apparent that while Ichigo was away, her cooking had worsened. Ichigo often thought that Inoue had no taste buds at all and that everything just tasted the same no matter what she ate.

Watching a lump slowly form on her forehead, Ichigo felt a spirit wave pulse past him. Eyes widening he stood up from kneeling beside Inoue and started to make his way towards the front door.

"Ichi...Ichigo?" Stuttered a confused Orihime

Turning around he saw her dreaming peacefully, the lump now huge and protruding further than before. Smiling slightly he turned only to stop dead in his tracks. The spirit wave's gone! The hollow has vanished; it didn't even give the tablet time to go off Ichigo thought astounded. What's going on? He decided to pay a visit to Kisuke earlier than he'd originally planned.

"Ichi...Ichigo" He continued to watch Orihime sleep soundly before walking back in (after fixing the door) he took his firm place in a seat near her bed. He turned the chair to face the window. The day was still pretty young and the sun was shining so brightly in the sky it could've burnt a hole in the earth.

Rukia... Sighing he rubbed his eyes ...Rukia... His eyes were getting heavy even though the day was so fresh. Rukia...What was with the disappearing Hollo... Ichigo fell into a much needed sleep.

Rukia...

Shojo- (i believe) girl(s)

(see the repeating pattern ;) kinda given it away there huh)


	9. Chapter 9

Wow thanks guys for the promising comments and such I managed to get a Japanese pen pal ah I'm so happy ^^ right well on with the story, hope you like it :D

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The night surprising flew by without a hitch; no nightmares plagued Ichigo during his sleep. As uncomfortable as the chair was, he sat there all night without fidgeting.

Light poured through the window onto his pale thin face, warming him slightly. The day was still quite juvenile and it was still pleasant outside. Sitting up rubbing his eyes, he felt the warm sun rays tickle every inch of his face which made him smile. It was so quiet in Inoues' flat; the particles in a dropped pin could've been heard bumping together. Ichigo enjoyed silence; he'd grown accustomed to it in the Soul Society that he'd made friends with it and loved its company. There was almost an eerie feel to Orihime's flat, it unnerved him slightly.

Standing up and stretching, he walked around to the kitchen. Her flat was pretty open planned, with just one room for the whole layout. It wasn't a bad size for someone like Inoue who spent most of her time on her backside or in the kitchen making food containing god only knows what. The worktop counters were shining against the midday sun and sparkled as if they were in a TV commercial for a kitchen cleaner. Even though Inoue was bad at cooking, she sure knew how to keep her kitchen tidy. Opening up one of the cupboards, Ichigo saw that all the boxes of tea and coffee and various other drinks had been stacked and sorted into alphabetical order. Ichigo wasn't surprised; he'd been in Orihime's' home many times, though the first time he was quite taken back by the approach. Reaching out he took hold of the apple flavoured tea and started boiling some water.

Eyes widening, he could hear the familiar buzzing sound. Reaching into his vibrating pocket he pulled out his old damaged phone. Ichigo often wondered why he hadn't asked for a new phone or upgraded. During his many combat missions, the damage had taken its toll on the mechanical device. Sometimes the buzzer would sound for a Hollow but really it would just be a passing soul, this caused Ichigo to only trust the skull emblem. Flipping open his mobile he saw the familiar '1 new message' Oh god not again, please please please, not Rukia...

"Hey Ichii-ni

Sorry but I have to cancel today, the clinic has been getting busier and busier

Maybe another time

Karin"

Sighing, partly because it wasn't Rukia and partly because he'd completely forgotten that he was meant to be taking Karin out for tea and would've been late. Returning his phone to his pocket, he checked the time, half four. Yawning he placed a mug on the side and emptied some of the contents of the tea box into it. Spoon spoon, I need a spoon.. He thought as he went on a rampage through the kitchen in search of something to stir the tea with.

"Oh hey Ichigo! When did you get here!" Beamed a familiar voice from behind him. Turning around he saw Orihime rubbing her eyes in her pyjamas, he had removed her coffee stained clothes when he brought her home.

"Oh Inoue, you're awake, are you feeling any better? Does your head hurt?" He asked turning back to look for a spoon.

"Um I'm feeling just fine Ichigo, can I ask, why are you in my flat?" She had the dimmest expression on her face

"What? You mean you don't remember what happened?" Ichigo stopped looking and turned to face her again.

"Nope" She shook her head forcefully "Wait! I wasn't abducted again... was I?" She looked terrified

"Wait what? No no it wasn't anything like that" Ichigo led her to a seat and explained everything, like why she had a huge bump on her head.

"Oh no! Am I alright?" She asked shocked and petrified all at the same time

"Yeah, you should be fine Inoue"

The two sat in an awkward silence from then on, just looking at each other. If it wasn't for Ichigo's mobile going off, they probably would've stayed like that all day and night. Clicking it open he saw a Hollow beeping across his virtual map. Standing up and bidding Orihime farewell he raced off to investigate.

After changing into his Shinigami form, and stashing his body away safely Ichigo sped off in the Hollow's direction. Breezing through the air, he readied himself for the battle which awaited him. He clutched at the hilt of Zangetsu as he sprinted toward the site of an abandoned shopping centre. It was due to be demolished the year before but was purchased by an unknown buyer who unfortunately died shortly after, leaving it a literal ghost town. Ichigo closed in on the building, landing softly on the ground just outside the entrance. The doors were boarded up with panels of thick wood even still they would be no match for his Zanpakuto. Bracing himself he stepped forward when, like before, the spirit wave vanished. Standing stuck to the spot, arm outstretched to push back the wooden panels. No...it can't be? Not again? What the hell is going on? He yelled in his head. No matter how hard he tried, he could not sense nor pick up the same spirit wave. The Hollow had been killed by something other than Ichigo, but it wasn't a Shinigami or another Hollow. In fact there was nothing there to kill it. Time I think, to go and see Urahara Ichigo thought stepping back.

"Ah Ichigo, I'm glad you could finally make it, care for a drink?" A very chirpy looking Kisuke answered the door to the little shop. After regaining his body back Ichigo had made his way straight to Kisukes shop to find out the mystery of the disappearing Hollows.

"No thanks, I just want to talk" Ichigo kept his face sharp and focused. Even though Urahara had done so much for Ichigo like teaching him how to regain his powers back, deep down Ichigo still couldn't trust him.

"I like a man of principle" Smiled the shop keeper as he whipped open his fan to cover his face. Leading him through the shop, Ichigo studied the merchandise on sale, there was all kinds of nick-knacks to buy. Walking through the back, he noticed the absence of Uraharas two helpers Ururu and Jinta, he didn't want to question mainly because he had bigger fish to fry. After taking a seat in the room they used to talk in so often before, Ichigo got right to the point.

"So you want to talk about the Hollows right?" He looked straight ahead at the ex-Shinigami

"mm indeed" Kisuke replied in his bored tone " You may have noticed the odd sense which appears every time a Hollow descends to Earth? Well that my friend is due to a major change in a certain place. Since the war between Aizen and well, you, its left a huge dent not only in the Soul Society but in Hueco Mundo also" He removed the fan from his face and flicked it back "Because of the lack of energy in the atmosphere here, it differs from the spirit level back at Hueco Mundo. This means that the Hollows get weaker causing the soul inside to regain a little consciousness if you like" Looking over to Ichigo he almost smiled, lowering his hat. "Essentially, the Hollows weakness and the souls strength is causing a major rip between the two forms. Now if you remember basic soul reaper training you'll know that all souls want to end up in Rukongai and the process to get them there is Konso. In the research we committed, we've found out that the soul fighting the Hollow will walk to the place it's attached to. Then, to put it simply...it destroys itself to pass on, removing and killing the Hollow inside" still looking at Ichigo, Urahara stayed quiet.

Dumbfounded, Ichigo sat horrified as he tried to sum it all together.

"So what you're saying is, the soul pretty much obliterates itself?"

"Well in a way yes but because it's at its resting place it can pass on to either Soul Society or hell" Looking down and sighing Kisuke continued "Without the soul present the Hollow dies leaving no trace of its existence"


	10. Chapter 10

Hello hello hello my lovely readers ^^ Thank you for your comments and thanks to all the subscribers, I never thought something I just slapped on a virtual page people would actually enjoy well anyway here's the next chapter :D

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Ichigo needed Kisuke to explain the whole concept again because he hadn't quite absorbed the information, even after the third time Urahara explained it to him.

"But what happens to the Hollow?"

"For the last time Ichigo, the Soul passes on to Soul Society and the Hollow ceases to exist. I don't understand why you can't grasp it" A frustrated Kisuke explained for the last time before he lost his rag. "I can understand why it would come to you as a shock but why do I need to explain myself over and over?"

"I just don't understand how this would work I mean, what happens to the Hollow?"

Growling Urahara stood up flicking his fan open again to cover his face. "Ichigo I've explained everything there is to know, in time the information should set in so just go home and sleep it off" Holding out a hand to the stunned orange haired boy he waited for him to take it. Losing his patience ever so slightly Urahara coughed to break Ichigo from his trance.

"Oh sorry Kisuke, yeah...I think you're right, I'm gonna go home and- sleep" He took hold of the shop keepers hand and heaved himself up. For an oldish man Kisuke still had quite a bit of strength in his gigai form.

Bidding fair well to the man in a hat and clogs, Ichigo started making his way home, reflecting on Uraharas words. He checked his watch, half seven, he hadn't realised that he'd spent so much time at the shop. Yuzu's probably wondering where I am, She's been so wary of me going out, always thinking that I'd never return thought Ichigo trailing his thoughts from Hollows to his little sister. Have I really been that bad of a brother? I spent so much time away from them that they've grown without me. I spent so much time away that they probably thought I wasn't coming back Ichigo closed his eyes and winced as the memories of his baby sisters crying over losing their mother tortured him. Ichigo still blamed himself for his mothers' death, no matter what people said he would always feel painful guilt creep up and burn inside him. He used to think that if he lost his life that the guilt would go away, but that was the cowards' way out. Not only would he be redeemed as a pitiful fool, he would be selfish for leaving behind the remainder of his family. He was the person who held the family together, kept them strong, and ironically alive. Without him his sisters would probably become hollow themselves out of grief so he had to keep on living no matter what.

He walked up a steady road watching as the sun sunk into the horizon almost like it was being swallowed. It gave off a steady warm orange glow which spread across the whole sky giving the atmosphere an autumn tint. A cool breeze shot through the evening air making Ichigo's hair swish slightly. At times like these he would love nothing more than to whip out his music and listen to upbeat tracks that he could run along to. But he didn't feel like running today, he felt lonely and confused, not really what you would consider as a running mood. He stopped, shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out his phone. I suppose I'd better let Yuzu know I'm going to be late, don't want her crying when I get in. Dialling in the number Ichigo looked at the floor as he heard the dial tone ring constantly. Hmm that means someone's using the phone he thought, no one ever uses the phone unless the clinics still open. Thinking for a moment he remembered Karin saying that the clinic was busier than usual, maybe it was Isshin making a few phone calls about some patients. Or maybe it was Yuzu talking to her new 'friend' Hitomi. Either way he tried ringing the house phone again- still engaged. Damn he thought Yuzu's sure as hell going to worry if I don't let her know soon. Scratching at his head he thought about ringing Karin then remembered that she might too be busy to answer. What's the point in having a phone if you won't answer? He thought trying the phone again. This time it started ringing. Finally sighed Ichigo inside as he heard the sound of Yuzus voice. The relief was short lived as it turns out it had gone straight to voicemail. Damn it! He grieved heck I'll just leave a voicemail he exasperated.

"Hey Yuzu its Ichigo, text me when you get this, I'm going to be late home sorry so just put my dinner away and I'll warm it up when I get back, bye" with that he hung up finally happy.

Stashing his phone back into his pocket, he carried on walking heading in the direction of the local park. Ichigo liked this time of day, there was hardly anyone around and the people that did venture out were still sober so all they did was bid him a hello and went on their way. He preferred that rather than the "Oi you, you- are my friend" he would get from drunken strangers who would try to hug him. Sitting down on one of the swings he looked around. There wasn't a soul to be sighted, in both terms, the park was completely deserted. The swing creaked and swayed as he sat down clinging to one of the chains. If there was a prize for the most boring park in the whole of Karakura, Ichigo had found the best candidate. There really wasn't much to the playground, which would explain why it was empty. There was a slide in one corner, a set of swings which he occupied, a climbing frame which was worse for wear and a roundabout which had been chained down due to 'vandals' wrecking the paint and mechanisms. Ichigo laughed in his head, vandals yeah right, I'm thinking of a word, it begins with a 'H' and I think the rest is obvious.

Yawing and stretching, he started to swing slightly, back and forth, just to occupy his legs with something to do. Feeling the air brush passed him at a fast pace made Ichigo relax. That was until his mobile went off. Well it's about bloody time he thought, secretly glad that Karin or Yuzu had finally enough free time to pick up the phone. Slowing his swing down he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Flipping it open he clicked a few buttons to read the message and ran his eyes across the pixelated screen. His hands grew all sweaty and the phone slipped out making its gradual descent to the floor. Just before it hit the rubber tarmac he swooped down with lightning reflexes and cradled the phone tightly. Breathing heavily now, he lifted up the phone again but slower than before.

"Hello Ichigo, this is Minami of squad four, Rukia's attendant

We need you here right away

Please contact us in any way possible and return to Soul Society as fast as possibly

Thank you"

Over and over Ichigo read the text, taking in every little detail unlike his ability to do so before. Has it really happened? Has Rukia woken up without me?...


	11. Chapter 11

Hey guys, I had real fun writing this chapter ^^ (you'll probably find out why) Thank you again to the reviewers and subscribers :D Without you, the readers, there's no point to my story so yeah thanks everyone for making a sixteen year old girl happy! (Oh and sorry for the late reply Offender1992, I live in the southeast of England) so without further ado I present *drumroll* chapter 11!

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Making his way to Soul Society as quickly as he could, Ichigo stifled any thoughts that weren't of Rukia to the back of his mind. His legs were aching by the time he arrived at Soul Society but that didn't stop him running at full speed toward the squad four grounds. After receiving the text he sprinted straight back to Urahara and demanded he transport Ichigo to Rukongai. Problem was he ended up so far away from Soul Society that it had taken him a while to reach it. Panting ferociously he carried on dashing toward the girl he cared for most.

Soul Society looks a little more lively thought Ichigo then he laughed at the pun he'd unintentionally made. Maybe he was losing his mind, but he didn't care, nothing could bother him at that place in time. He stood just near of the entrance to the fourth division gates peering inside. Everyone seemed to be rushing around fetching blankets or bottles of acids and such. Tilting his head he watched as a relatively small squad member rushed into a room carrying an arm full of blankets. Moments of silence passed by until the girl ran out of the room almost in tears. A loud booming voice followed her out the room. "I don't need anyones help! Damn it!" Instantly placing a face to the deep harsh voice he walked up to the doorway of the den from which the voice had bellowed. Zaraki Kenpachi was sat on a ward bed holding his left arm whilst blood poured down from his head.

"Zaraki? What happened?" Ichigo asked

Looking up all Kenpachi did was grunt. "Lucky bastard got me from behind, I could've dealt with it there and then but oh no, I had to come back and get treated, humph I hate these new pathetic bloody rules" He growled through gritted teeth. Not wanting to question who or what had hit him, Ichigo just nodded and left the old captain to scare the living crap out of the young squad members. Standing by Zarakis door Ichigo'd almost forgotton why he'd arrived at Soul Society. Feeling stupid and shameful he rushed off to find Rukia.

It took only a few moments to locate her; the power of her reiatsu had grown since the last time Ichigo was here. What surprised him the most was that he'd only returned to the living world for a couple of days so in Soul Society time; it was like he hadn't really left at all. In that short space of time Rukia had gotten a whole lot stronger. This made Ichigo almost rejoice, he would've danced if it wasn't for the passing Shinigami who would've thought him crazy for doing so.

Stopping outside a wooden door, which was different from the last one, he breathed slowly and heavily. It looks like she's been moved to a different ward he thought hope arising slightly. Reaching out he placed his hand on the door and lightly tapped, the knocking sound echoed down his spine. Nerves sprung up all over his body, he felt like he was standing outside the head teachers' office waiting to be punished. What am I going to say? How will she react? Will she be mad that I wasn't there by her side?

Pushing all questions and thoughts aside he reached for the handle and pushed it down. Hearing the slow creak as the door opened made him shudder. The first thing he saw was the evening sun beaming into his eyes from the window across the room. Anti-bacterial smells wafted their way up Ichigos nose almost making him cough. Readjusting his eyes he tried focusing on one particular thing, the bed. Walking in he saw that the room wasn't much different from the one she was in before. Maybe she hadn't moved and Ichigo'd just imagined the window in the door last time...

She's not awake... Ichigo frowned looking at the Shinigami under the white sheets. What gives, I thought they'd only contact me if she woke up? Just as he was thinking that question Minami, Rukias nurse, walked through the door.

"Ah Mr Kurosaki" she whispered "I'm glad you could make it, I have some good news" She smiled brightly rising Ichigos hopes even more. Good? That means she's ok right? He thought frantically. "Now I know I said I would contact you if she woke up, well in technical terms she hasn't regained consciousness. Take a seat and I'll explain, but be quiet though she may be startled" Doing what the doctor ordered he sat down being as quiet as he possibly could. "I bet you think I'm crazy for asking you over when she hasn't awoken yet?"

"Just a little and to be honest I'm a little annoyed too" He admitted fighting back the anger.

Laughing slightly the nurse continued "Well the reason we _did_ call you over is because she hasn't woken up yet but she will do soon. As you can probably tell she has strengthened these last few days which is a good sign. It also means she's close to awakening, because she's been out for so long she won't have the ability to control or mask her reiatsu properly so when she starts coming to, you'll be able to tell as her spirit wave will increase" The nurse carried on explaining quietly with a broadened smile. Ichigo couldn't read the smile, it seemed happy but at the same time concerned. "Now we've taken a few tests and it's been apparent that her power has increased by eighty percent so by calculations she should wake up in the next half hour or so. And being the person who stayed by her side throughout the whole journey we figured the first person she should see is you" She gestured toward him. On the nurses lap there was a wooden clipboard and a pen, written on the piece of paper clipped to the clipboard was some terms which Ichigo couldn't understand. He didn't know why he kept zoning out he should be ecstatic that Rukia was going to awaken soon but deep down he was still riddled with sadness.

"So what you're saying is, she's still not with us yet?"

"Well when you put it like that it sounds rather cruel but yes as of now she is still unconscious if you like" Looking toward the floor Ichigo nodded and mulled over the nurses words. "I'll just leave you alone now Mr Kurosaki, if you need anything just call" She said smiling and holding out her hand. Taking the hand and shaking it Ichigo smiled half-heartedly back. She's still not here... he thought. Watching the nurse walk out the room and close the door he sighed.

Looking over to the bed he could see that Rukia still shone her angelic like smile. This comforted him some-what as he hadn't seen her smile in what felt like a decade. Her hair had grown a little more than when she was in Hueco Mundo. She had more features to her which made Ichigo even more attracted to her. Her skin had picked up a little more colour and shone for all to see with the sunlight pouring onto her. She really did look like an angel.

"You know, I don't know how long I've sat in one of these damn wicker chairs beside you" He smiled as he spoke to her knowing there'd be no response. Looking down at the floor he took hold of her hand and laughed a little. "They aren't very comfy; I think I have a square bum now. They make awful beds as well, can't say I'd ever want one in my room, I think I'd throw it out the window. It was all worth it thought, sitting here next to you. You didn't let go, you held strong, I admire you Rukia" Is this what I've been leading up to? Is this what Zaraki and dad were talking about? He pondered. Forgetting everything he breathed in and then out forcefully. "It's been quite a journey huh? I still remember the first day we met, clear as day. I can't thank you enough for what you did that day, you changed my life. I know I've never really said any of this before but, well, I guess I'm just no good at all this sentimental crap" He sighed and raised he head so he was staring at the wall. "I hope you'll wake up soon; I need to tell you something, something really important. I haven't had the guts to admit it until now, I've been a coward and it's taken me this long to finally pluck up the courage to say, I...I love you Rukia" Feeling warm streams appear down his cheeks he looked up toward the ceiling and felt them turn icy. He could've imagined it but he felt Rukia's hand tighten around his. He looked down and saw her purple eyes wide awake. Her eyes were filled with warmth and tears, but happy tears. She was also smiling, no grinning a huge grin.

"Shut up you soft Baka!" She let go of his hand and punched him on the arm

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AH! Fun times! ^^


	12. Chapter 12

Hehe I hope you guys now realise why I liked writing the last chapter :3 sorry if this ones a little sketchy, I had to rush it a bit cause Its already late and I has college tomorrow ^^ so the usual thanks go out to the subscribers and reviewers, keep them coming :D up and onward to the chapter!

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He couldn't believe it, she was awake! His arm ached so much but he didn't care, because she was awake!

"Uh err huh" He couldn't speak, the words just wouldn't form and his voice had ceased up. His face was completely blank, he didn't know if he was dreaming the moment. Maybe he was dead, a Hollow had actually killed him and all the things he wanted to happen in life, he dreamt up. He suddenly dropped that theory when the pain from Rukia's punch set it. She had indeed grown stronger and her punch was more forceful than before and Ichigo could already feel a bruise arising from the dent in his arm.

Rukia started laughing at Ichigos expression placing a hand to her mouth. Ichigo snapped back into reality and shook his head. Her laugh sounded so good, like music to his ears. He couldn't help but smile back. "Your face Ichigo, you look so sour" She carried on laughing whilst Ichigo's face turned a deep shade of red. He still couldn't quite believe what was going on, it was a dream come true. "It's great to see you Ichigo" She smiled at him with an almost sympathetic look. Smiling back Ichigo nodded in return. The two continued to stare at each other still smiling; they didn't need words to express how they felt. Rukia surprised Ichigo after a few minutes more; she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around him. Almost flinching he felt her arms cling to him tightly. Not quite sure what to do, he stalled for a second. Grinning even more than before, he clung to her and thought to himself 'I won't let go Rukia, not now not ever, I won't let you leave me again' He didn't want to let go but she started pulling away. "It feels really odd being awake, it's like I've been asleep for a very long time" She sounded surprised.

"Do you want to know how long you've been out?" Feeling the right place to ask Ichigo questioned her.

Shaking her head she explained how she didn't want to live in the past anymore and wanted to look to the future. He nodded his head and smiled, he could understand why she didn't want to know though if it was him he'd want to know otherwise it would plague him until he knew. Respecting her wishes he changed the subject. "Do you remember much of the war?"

Punching him on the arm and scowling at him she cried "What did I just say Ichigo! I don't want to live in the past, I've just been out cold after the most awful thing in anyone's experience and you keep reverting back to it! Please Ichigo nothing of the past, not now" She smiled empathetically placing her hand on his. Looking at the floor Ichigo apologised profusely. Lifting her other hand and placing it on his cheek, she directed his face towards hers. She spent a few seconds staring into his chocolate hazel pools.

Ichigo looked into Rukias deep purple eyes and felt his heart beat twice as fast. What's happening to me? I'm starting to sweat uncontrollably, why is this happening? Her eyes are amazing, such a beautiful face, I love her... Ichigos' mind sprung up with a crazy idea, well it was more of an urge, an urge to lean forward and make their lips meet. Their faces were so close; all he had to do was move forward and...

Rukia pulled away but kept her hand on his, squeezing it tightly. "Smile Ichigo, you look like you've been sucking on a lemon" Her smile dropped as his face remained the same "What's wrong?" He watched as he saw straight through her, almost to her core.

"Tell me something Rukia... Did you hear the first thing I said?"

"First thing you said? What do you mean?" She asked tilting her head in curiosity

"When you woke up, what was the first thing I said? Do you remember?"

"Well I'm not sure what you said, it was all quite a blur I just remember seeing you and hearing a few of your words, and well that's about it" Ichigo looked down but then smiled and sighed. Somehow he felt relieved, the way he expressed himself wasn't exactly the best way to tell someone you love them. Maybe he'll get his chance to say it again one day and with this new found strength which he'd gained from Rukia, there was no stopping him. Although there was a rising fall, it didn't stop Ichigo believing. Looking over he caught her yawning and laughed.

"After all that sleeping you're still tired?" he mocked

"Hey...It's not my fault that I got hurt! Besides you're the one who was worried about me, if anything you should be tired. Can I ask you something, did you stay by my side the whole time I was...?" She gazed at him questioningly unable to finish her sentence.

"Uh well" He could feel his face starting to blush slightly "Yeah I guess I did" Not wanting to mention the fact that he hadn't been by her side for the whole time, Ichigo lied a little.

"Wow, you stayed here just for me? Now I do feel honoured" she winked at him and giggled yawning shortly after.

Half smiling Ichigo leant over and hugged her again. "It's great to have you back Rukia, I...I really missed you"

"Hey you sound like you're about to say goodbye" Rukia said with a bit of concern

Pulling away Ichigo stood up and stretched. "I am, you are obviously tired so I'll leave you to rest and once you've slept I'll come back" He said smiling. After letting go of her hand, Ichigo felt his go slightly chilly from the absence of her touch.

Taking a bow he bid her farewell, and started for the door. "Ichigo!" Rukia sat up straight as she shouted his name.

Turning around he answered "Yeah Rukia?"

He watched as she shook her head "Nothing" She smiled as she watched him turn around and open the door. She could sense that he didn't want to leave but he was right, she was tired and in need of sleep. As he closed the door behind him, Rukia sat and listened as his footsteps echoed through the hallway. Sighing she sat back leaning against the pillows of the bed. She closed her eyes and whispered "I love you too, Ichigo..."


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for the late update guys, I've applied for a job and the application form took longer than expected xD anyway yeah enjoy (I hope) Oh and thank you for the reviews ^^

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After leaving the room, Ichigo could've sworn that he'd heard Rukia say something. He really wanted to go in and find out if she had, the temptation was all too great but Ichigo resisted, just. He wondered if it was something he'd said that made Rukia hesitate at the end. Maybe asking her if she'd heard him say 'I love you' made her a little distant. He could only hope and pray that he'd done the right thing.

He stood outside her door listening in to whatever sound he could trigger from the silence. When nothing arose he decided to leave her in peace. Wishing he had pockets to stuff his hands into, Ichigo slumped off thumping as he went. The wooden flooring must've been reinforced with something like steel because Ichigo made a huge impact whilst walking away. He didn't really know why he was so upset; it wasn't like Rukia had turned him down. Maybe it was because deep down he knew that he hadn't truly told Rukia he loved her. He still had time though, he still had his moment, he just had to wait for it.

Feeling slightly hopeful after his little thought, he lightened his footsteps and decided to question Zaraki about his previous encounter. Leaving behind Rukia, little did he know for the last time, he dropped all bad thoughts and made his way out the door. The grounds were still very busy with squad members rushing around like headless chickens; a dust dune had formed from so many people running in different directions. Raising a hand to his face to block the dirt from his eyes he started towards the room to where he last saw the eleventh squad captain.

"How many times have I told you, I don't need your help!" It was apparent that he hadn't moved rooms from the time he'd been there. Almost laughing to himself, Ichigo made it to the doorway. Placing his hand on the wooden doorframe he watched as many soul reapers darted to and fro the room.

"Stupid bloody kids, why don't they understand the simplest of instructions? If I was the leader of this dump, I'd make it a dog-eat-dog world! Damn it" He clutched at his now bandaged arm.

"They're only trying to do their job right" Ichigo defended walking in the room and sitting himself on a nearby cupboard.

"Well they're trying too hard, besides, I could be out fighting Hollows right now!" He clenched his hands as he glared out the window at the passing members.

"What else can they do if they don't do their jobs right?" Laughed Ichigo, watching also the people rush by.

"I guess, what do you want Kurosaki?" Kenpachi asked with a slight annoyance in his voice after been beaten.

"Well" Slightly taken back by Zarakis tone Ichigo stuttered a little "I really just wanted to ask, what happened, you know, how did you get hurt?"

"I didn't get hurt!" Bellowed Zaraki standing up and facing Ichigo "I was injured there's a difference! I don't feel pain, I'm invincible remember!"

"Ok Ok I'm sorry" Ichigo backed off

"Yeah you should be Kurosaki" Kenpachi glared at the orange haired boy with a slight tremble. "Well since you asked I'll tell you. I was busting up a Hollow when all of a sudden the bastard disappears. It confused me a little and whilst I stood around to wonder why the Hollow had buggered off, something or someone attacked me from behind. The coward didn't even stay around to finish me off, honour my arse!" He growled.

"Did you see who attacked you?"

"If I did do you think I would be sitting here rather than chasing the bastards' ass!" Zaraki jumped up and stomped over to the window picking up his Zanpakuto. "I may not have seen his face, but I can tell you one thing, they have a very distinct spirit wave"

"Do you think it was a Hollow?"

"Yes, if there's one thing I know it's how to sense a Hollow" He scratched at his chin, staring out the window at the Sereitei sky.

"Do you think I could tap into the same spirit wave?" Asked Ichigo inquisitively

"You tell me you're the one who stopped the worst person to ever exist" Ichigo thought he could see a slight smile creep over Zarakis face whilst saying this.

After a while of talking about Hollows and such, the conversation dropped.

"So, Kurosaki... Did you tell her?" Zaraki turned around and stared straight at Ichigo in the eyes. His stare almost bore directly into Ichigos soul.

"uh...Well" He didn't know what to say, he could admit that he hadn't but that wasn't entirely sure that was the truth.

"Hehe I see, you're not as man enough as I once thought" Zaraki smirked. Hoping he would fall for the taunt, Zaraki started toward the door. "Do it Ichigo, don't let this last chance go" He walked out the room to presumably to go to fight some unexpected Hollow.


	14. Chapter 14

Heya guys Thank you for the reviews and subscribes and er yeah apologies for the short length of the last chapter, I got kinda tired so was lazy and went to bed ^^ Oh and right now I'm suffering from the horrible disease that is writers block!

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Zarakis taunt had reached Ichigo's core, he had the confidence of a rabbit in a lions' den. What did he mean I'm not man enough? I saved the damn world and he says I'm not man enough? Well I'll show him, thought Ichigo triumphantly I'll show them all. He grinned to himself then wiped it from his face when a worried and rushed squad four associate came trotting in. Panting she asked "Whe...Where's Zaraki-san?"

He nodded toward the door and said "He ran off to slaughter whoever injured him"

"Oh no! He can't go out, he'll hurt him..."

Ichigo put his finger to his lips, "Don't worry about Zaraki" He smiled removing his finger "He's invincible, don't you know" With that he upped and walked out leaving the frightened girl alone to try and figure out what the hell Ichigo was going on about.

Ichigo once again felt good, he beamed as bright as the sun. He stood outside the previous room and smiled watching the day pass away in its own time. He wondered whether Rukia was asleep yet, maybe after all the time she'd spent unconscious, she didn't need to sleep. He wanted to go and check but before he could a hell butterfly flew up to him stopping just a few millimetres away from his nose.

"Ichigo, we need you back here pronto

Sorry for any inconvenience

Kisuke"

Huffing Ichigo didn't want to leave, he was only supposed to leave Rukia for a little while then join her again after she awoke. But Urahara did say that it was urgent that I returned and it must be bad for Kisuke to worry, he thought groaning inside.

He really didn't want to leave but life in the living world was more important than Rukias one soul, that was the soul reapers way. Of course Ichigo wanted to screw the soul reapers way, he didn't care, there were other shinigamis to deal with the problem, he just wanted to be with Rukia. He left Soul Society (very reluctantly) around midnight and arrived in the living world to a huge commotion.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm doing my job you moron"

"Well you're not doing it beautifully enough! Where's the elegance? Where's the quality?"

"You don't kill a Hollow with beauty, you just kill it"

"No that's the poor man's method, if you want to be noticed as a _true_ professional, you do it with style"

"Whatever, just look for the damn thing"

Ichigo smiled after listening to the argument, without any doubts he could place faces to the voices. It had been a long time since he'd seen Ikakku and Yumichika, hearing them argue made his spirits lift a little. He wasn't quite sure what they were doing in the living world. This made him think, where exactly was he, he didn't recognise the place at where he stood. The ground felt very unstable, the air was clammy and there wasn't much light. If Ichigo had to guess he was in an old abandoned factory, the smell of burnt coal was almost suffocating. He jumped up through a hole in the roof and landed on the metal railing. Looking up he saw the moon in a crescent shape shining with as little light as it could muster. Clouds soon drifted passed the moon dimming the shine even further. Ichigo was right, he was standing on top of an abandoned steel works.

"Oh look who it is" The familiar voice of Ikakku emanated from behind him. He turned around and saw Ikakku standing in his usual stance. Smiling he nodded.

"Oh! This is most handsome, hasn't it been an ugly wait Mr Kurosaki?" The innuendos emphasised Ichigo's serenity and he smiled as Yumichika made his way next to his bald friend.

"Hey guys, it has been a while huh?" He dug his Zanpakuto into the roof and leant against it.

"Indeed it has, so what brings you here, I would've thought you'd be with Rukia, you never seemed to have moved from that damned seat" Ikakku said bluntly

"I got called back by Kisuke because apparently there's been trouble, I just arrived to investigate"

"Ah most hideous, we also have been sent to check the scene, I must say though in the moon light the Earths beauty really does improve" Yumichika looked up, and watched the glisten of the moon reflect off the various surfaces.

"Indeed though we aren't here to study the scenery" Ikakku said to his associate with a little annoyance clear in his voice. It was obvious that he was getting close to snapping. "So Ichigo, what exactly are you meant to be investigating?"

"Well you may know that your captain was referred back to soul society because of injuries I've come to find out what attacked him"

"Wait! Zaraki got attacked?" Ikakkus face darkened "This is bad this is bad, we're gonna die damn it!" Grabbing hold of Yumichika he shunpooed off shouting back "Sorry Kurosaki, we have to go!"

Laughing Ichigo slung his Zanpakuto over his shoulder and sighed. Morons, why do they always act so weird he thought smirking to himself. Remembering his objective he started off in a random direction to try and figure out where he was.

He stopped short of the outskirts of Karakura, partly because he needed to grab some air but mostly because there was a huge Hollow blocking his way. It was a strange concept, the Hollow was definitely different than any other mainly because it just stood smiling at him without saying a word.

"Hollow, who are you?" Ichigo bellowed readying Zangetsu

"Screw the words Ichigo, I want action" It grinned. The mask which it bore was very white, so white it put the moon to shame. It had the mannerisms of a human and at that moment Ichigo couldn't see anything special until something stuck out to him.

"How do you know my name?" He asked darkly

"I know many things Ichigo" It goaded "How? Well I'll leave you wondering now are we going to fight or just stand around talking like..._old friends_" Its grin sprung hugely after it said the last two words. This made Ichigo wary, why would it find that amusing? Growling almost he sprung forward with his soul cutter at hand. He ran with incredible speed but with only a few millimetres from touching distance the Hollow disappeared. But in its place, stood a person, a person he knew only too well. The person who stood there wore a huge smile and kept their eyes focused on Ichigo.

Ichigo gasped and stopped just short of the person. Eyes widening, he wheezed "Rukia..."


	15. Chapter 15

If the last chapter confused you this chapter should clear EVERYTHING up! I have grave news people, there shall be one more chapter after this one and a prologue then finite! The story will have come to an end. Dont fret though good readers I shall be creating a new story! So yeah I hope you enjoy this chapter and I would like to thank all my readers who have supported me throughout this story ^^

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It's... it's unreal...that can't be her it can't be...

Ichigo had stopped in mid air just a few paces away from the spot where 'Rukia' stood. His breathing suddenly grew heavy and his whole body went into melt down. What is she doing here? She...she should be resting, hell she shouldn't even be on this planet! This- this is... unreal.

"Oh Ichigo" He looked at the figure before him; the voice was a perfect match to the real thing. The dark hair, the purple eyes, and the signature smile it was all there. "Please Ichigo don't hurt me" The girl pouted in her best pleading voice. Ichigo couldn't think, his body was numb, that can't be Rukia it just can't be.

Grinning the girl started to laugh, the voice changed whilst she cackled It got deeper and more gravely. Ichigo frowned and watched as the girl screamed. Her form started to change and eventually the Hollow was standing in front of him laughing. "Not figured it out yet Kurosaki?" It watched as Ichigo growled, finding it even more amusing. "Well let me explain in simple words for you, my ability is to transform into the object or desire that my target wants the most. It would appear that your most wanted desire is the affection and stability of a certain soul reaper. Knowing all that I can change into her form and use her abilities against you. You may think you recognise this sort of skill, well you should be familiar with it! After all you killed my brother, also known as Grand Fisher"

Ichigo felt a shot of nerves tingle down his spine at the name, the thought of knowing that he was about to face the brother of the monster that killed his mum made him a little agitated. Now that he focused on it, the Hollow had some similar features that Grand Fisher once owned. The feet were the same, the mask was almost the same if it wasn't a bit bigger and most of the white was black.

"So Ichigo are you just going to stand there or are we going to get this shin dig started?" The Hollow started towards him slowly thudding its feet down with every step.

"Hollow before we start, answer me this" Ichigo coughed to clear his throat "Are you sure that is what I wish for the most?" He smiled and started toward the confused Hollow with Zangetsu at hand.

The Hollow only had a few seconds to act, but it was enough. It jumped back and disappeared from Ichigo's sight, in its place stood the replica Rukia. Even though he knew it wasn't Rukia, Ichigo stopped running. His breath escaped him as he looked into the bright amethyst eyes he'd fallen in love with. I have to fight, it's not the real thing... he tried to convince himself. It wasn't working, he couldn't move, he just couldn't harm the face he'd fallen for on so many occasions. It was an impossible task, he just wouldn't do it.

'Rukia' pulled out her Zanpakuto and started towards him at an incredible speed. Fortunately Ichigo knew her speed all too well. Pulling up his soul cutter he blocked her attack very quickly. Though he blocked her attack, it still sent him flying back. Breaking a sweat he lowered Zangetsu and breathed out slowly still focused on the Hollow. Ichigo didn't have time to think anything through she was on him again within moments. Just managing to hold her back, he had the reaction to kick her away. She saw the threat coming and flung herself over the top of Ichigo landing behind him. Spinning around as quickly as he could, he watched her fly and land almost gracefully. Try as he might he wasn't quick enough to stop her attack. He felt a sharp pain in his lower chest, he looked down and saw the blade of a Zanpakuto he knew too well protrude from a hole in his abdomen. Blood slowly made its way out of his chest and down the blade forever staining it. Making the injury bitter-sweet the Hollow pulled the blade out a little then pushed it in with all its might worsening the pain. Letting out a huge yell, Ichigo still didn't react, he couldn't, it was Rukia after all. In his daze he'd managed to convince himself that she was real, even though deep down he knew it wasn't her. Besides why would the girl he loved want him dead?

"Feel the pain Ichigo? Does it hurt?" The Hollow was still using Rukia's voice and to Ichigo it didn't matter what it said the voice was still the sweetest thing for him to hear. It almost gave him hope that he would win, but then he remembered he couldn't attack. Slowly and agonisingly, 'Rukia' started pulling out the Zanpakuto twisting it slightly on the way out. After the whole blade was out Ichigo fell to his knees. He clutched at the hole and felt the oozy red liquid pour out over his fingers. "Wow, Oh how the mighty have fallen" 'Rukia' taunted slinging her soul cutter onto Ichigo's shoulder "Maybe I should knight you the worst Shinigami there is" The Hollow started to laugh and kicked Ichigo in the chest. He flew through the air and hit a brick wall; falling off the wall he lost his breath. Coughing and spluttering he tried his best to breathe, it was almost as if he'd forgotten how to. To his left he heard the Hollow grunt. "How did my brother lose against you, this is too easy" It was now in front of Ichigo. 'Rukia' bent down and pulled up his chin so their faces were level. Smirking she leaned in and placed her lips on his forcing a kiss out of him. It wasn't a kiss of love but of death. She pulled away still grinning and clutched at his face, she stood up and threw him against a tree. He slammed hard against the bark and felt a few bones shift places and crack. Groaning he looked up with a red vision from the blood falling from a gash on his forehead. The Hollow was making its way towards him sheathing its Zanpakuto. No matter how hard he tried, Ichigo couldn't convince himself to attack. The Hollow bore the face of the girl he loved, no matter who wore the face, he could not injure them. The face made him feel whole, alive... free. He needed to keep the face intact. He loved Rukia so much that if he harmed her beautiful face he would feel like he was hurting the true person.

Ichigo felt fingers tighten around his throat and it almost cut off his air supply. Just managing to open his eyes he saw the grin which the Hollow hadn't stopped wearing for the whole time Ichigo was being played with. Tightening her grip around his throat 'Rukia' jumped up and landed on spirit particles. She held him two hundred feet in the air if Ichigo had to estimate. Since Ichigo was too weak he knew that if she let him go he wouldn't be able to create a platform for himself and would plunge to the Earth. Staring into the eyes he'd once felt so attached to, Ichigo kept one thing running through his mind 'She's ok, the real Rukia's alright' He smiled slightly and figured that since the real Rukia was fine then that was all that mattered to him, he could plunge to his death. On the verge of blacking out Ichigo could barely hear the Hollows voice.

"It's over Ichigo, you let your feelings get in front of what mattered most. You're weak, you think of too much, but not enough about you self. It's a harsh world and you've just been chewed and spat out by it. SO consider this, be thankful that you died by the hands of the thing you love the most, at least you got to die by me Rukia Kuchiki,- uh" The Hollow looked up at its forehead, a white blade shone brightly through its face. The Hollow lost concentration and its illusion retreated, returning its form to its original state. The white blade withdrew from the Hollows mask.

"Well actually, _you_ were the one who died by Rukia Kuchiki" Turning around still holding Ichigo, the Hollow saw the small petite Shinigami holding her Zanpakuto at arms length. She smiled as the Hollows expression changed from shock to anger. She watched as the Hollow started to disappear.

"Damn you Shinigami, I will..." It couldn't finish as its mask cracked from its face and it dispersed from the air. Still smiling she waved the Hollow a farewell and said an extremely quick prayer. Hearing the sound of moving air she saw a falling object or rather person.

"Ichigo!" she gasped...


	16. Chapter 16

So this is it people, the very last chapter, I must say though it's been a very fun past time. My many thanks go out to you, my lovely readers if it wasn't for you this story probably wouldn't have happened so yeah, love to all the readers out there. Thank you also for the positive feedback, it's been a great few weeks and I hope this story has been as satisfying for you as it has for me writing it. A little tribute out to my friend Shaz7 who's helped me along (oh if you read -man he's written a really good story on it so yeah go check it out!) Once again thank you and enjoy this final chapter to 'Everlasting regret' Peace out!

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"Ichigo!" was the last thing he heard before darkness. Black, sinister shadows engulfed Ichigo's vision. His sight was gone in a matter of seconds. Life as he knew it had vanished completely; all that remained was the shade of his life. If Ichigo could pin-point the last few moments of his conscious being he would make sure he witnessed every little movement. If he were to die from that fall, he would want the last thing for him to see to be of life. Wind blowing through the trees, humans walking on the lush grass, Rukia killing the Hollow anything that involved movement.

It was weird being incarcerated in darkness for so long. Life seemed to come to a stand-still, well that is if life existed at all. Maybe Ichigo had died and if so where was he. There wasn't any colour or light, there were no sounds or movement it was all so- dead. If he had died, how long had it taken for him to leave the living world? If he was dead how come he wasn't a Shinigami? If he was dead, how was Rukia taking it?...

"How...he...how...is..." Sound! That voice, it's getting louder! I know it, I recognise it, it's so...so- Rukia!

"I hope...wakes up..." She must be talking about me, but where are we? I still can't see anything, neither can I feel anything.

"Oh Ichi...I...you..." Why can't I hear her properly? I can't make out what she's saying

"Why...to...I'm...I...tell...I lo... you"

Groaning Ichigo started to feel life flood back through his veins, he started breathing cautiously at first. It had been a weird sensation, almost like he'd forgotten how to breathe and was learning to do so for the very first time. The sensation of his chest rising and falling made Ichigo certain that, no, he wasn't dead, at least that's what he thought anyway. He may have died and be in the recovery ward of the squad four grounds. He may be hallucinating whilst he lay dying on the cold hard ground in the street whilst Rukia watched him.

"Ichigo I hope...can hear me" It was definitely Rukia's voice, it was getting clearer. The perfect tonality of her voice rang through Ichigos body a thousand times over. A tingling sensation appeared in the lower half of his flesh. Suddenly his whole body tensed up and feeling rushed through every inch of his anatomy. It was painful but also exhilarating. I'm not dead, I can't be not after hearing her voice Ichigo's mind began to function and thoughts rushed through it at an intense pace. Messages were sent from his brain to other bodily parts, heart start beating, lungs inflate and deflate, ears unlock and function, eyes open and see. That is exactly what Ichigo did. Opening his eyes he saw light, a huge struggle took place to decipher what was light and what was life. It had all looked the same to begin with, just a blaring white light, a complete contrast to the eternal darkness which had eloped itself around him. Soon after objects started to slot themselves into place, a cabinet, a chair...a person. Ichigo closed his eyes and focused on something small. He signalled for his fingers to open and close. This proved to be too difficult as something was within his hand. It felt like somebody else's hand had attached and curled itself around Ichigos, not willing to let go anytime soon. The hand was warm, tender, and soft. It comforted him, the soft skin brushed delicately over his rough brittle shell.

Once again he opened his eyes watching as the light came flooding back in. This time Ichigo decided to fight it, to force it back, to gain the ability of sight once more. The pain was blaring as the light scolded his eyes dry. He didn't stop though, he fought passed the pain and continued to focus on one particular object, the person. After enduring what seemed like a lifetime of agonising ache, the lights glare finally ceased. Ichigo knew he was only squinting but he was able to visualise everything again to a minimum. He was in a white room, quite spacious with the essence of cleanliness. He was also in a bed, under pure white sheets. To the left of the bed lay a light brown cabinet with a vase of flowers spruced upon the top, beside the vase stood a few cards which expressed various quick recovery titles. Wait a minute... he thought, this is looking too familiar. Looking over to his right he saw a pale white hand with a huge scar running all the way from the middle fingertip to the top of the wrist. Inside that hand sat a peach one almost half the size of the hand which it accommodated. Obviously the first hand was Ichigos which only left the ownership of the other. His eyes followed the arm up to the body revealing the identity of his bedsitter.

He smiled as best as he could, not leaving any signs that he was awake. The person was sitting parallel to him looking toward the door of the room. The person was female and quiet. She had shoulder-length hair and a petite build. Her arms were strong and her body thin. Though the thing which made Ichigo recognise her most was the bright accentuated amethyst eyes.

Rukia...

Ichigos thoughts ran wild, she looks so beautiful, it feels like it's been ages since I last saw her face. She hasn't changed much her build is still so perfect her posture so straight, her eyes so astounding. I just want to...

"Oh Ichigo, please wake up soon, I miss you" A very stressed Rukia broke his train of thought and he watched as she lowered her face hiding her amazing eyes. "It's not the same Ichigo; I haven't got anyone to pick on anymore. Kon is driving me crazy and your family is on the brink. You need to wake up, soon" Hearing about how his family was suffering made Ichigo wince, he'd already left them once, and he almost left them again, but this time for good. "Please Ichigo wake up, I need to say something" This had intrigued him, what did she need to tell him so badly. Had something bad happened? Was the Hollow still roaming around freely while he was recovering? Had Rukia hurt herself so badly tha...

"I love you Ichigo" muttered Rukia, Ichigo had not been expecting this and almost stopped breathing. If words could make someone's heart beat so fast that it killed them, Ichigo could've been prime suspect to that fate. He had never expected Rukia to admit it so freely, maybe it was because she thought he was still unconscious...Ichigo wasn't unconscious anymore. He smiled as he realised he wasn't dead but had merely been out cold, but for how long? He pondered over the matter before the reality of the situation hit him. She loves me... he repeated over and over in his mind. The girl I love- loves me, the girl that _I_ love- loves _me_! If Ichigo could've danced he would have but of course that would have been the weirdest way to come back to life, dancing in a hospital gown. "I love you Ichigo, I know it's taken me a while to confess but, well, after being in that coma I realised that I had to tell you soon in case you suffered the same fate. But I was too slow, I didn't make it to you in time, I'm sorry Ichigo, I'm sorry. I'm..." He watched as tears slowly streamed down her gentle face, dripping eventually off her chin. It pained him to watch her this way, knowing that she was heartbroken because of him. If only there was some way I could cheer her up he thought sighing inside silently, Oh wait, I'm awake now he reflected dumbfounded. Almost smiling at his stupidity, he lifted his other hand and placed it on Rukia's chin. Slowly he pulled her chin towards him and smiled as her eyes met his. He watched as her eyes widened as the realisation set in.

"I...Ichi...Ichigo?" Stuttered a very confused and surprised Rukia. He didn't say anything, just smiled at her with his hand still on her chin. They spent a few more seconds staring into each others' eyes before Rukia broke the silence by connecting her hand to his face. A loud crack was sent echoing through the room. Stunned Ichigo dropped his grip on her chin and grasped at his now red face.

"You stupid baka! How long have you been awake? Why didn't you tell me you were awake? Answer me Ichigo!" Rukia yelled jumping up sending her chair flying at the wall behind.

"What the hell? Why did you hit me? I'm still weak you know! And to answer your questions, not long, and I didn't get the chance before you walloped me!" Enraged an even more annoyed Ichigo, so much for the romantic greeting.

"I hit you because you could've said something" Moaned Rukia back still standing glaring at the now whimpering boy.

"You could've paid attention to me a lot more then you would've noticed!" growled Ichigo back

"Well I apologise for sitting next to your bedside for the past few weeks while you just laid there sleeping your ass off!"

"I was not sleeping! And...wait I was out cold for weeks?" A bewildered Ichigo questioned

"Yes it's been err let me work this out, you went down on Saturday the twelfth so" Rukia uttered a few noises which Ichigo had never heard come from her mouth "It's been twenty six days excluding today" She remarked triumphantly.

"Twenty six days" He repeated with amazement and awe. Rukia nodded and watched as he just laid back staring into space trying to absorb the information.

"Hey...hey! Ichigo!" She tried gaining his attention, it did nothing so she slapped him again which soon did the trick.

"What the hell you stupid bitch! Stop hitting me!"

"Well it woke you up, besides, you don't look so odd now because both of your cheeks match in colour" She smiled and then giggled as Ichigo went into a huff. It didn't take long before he joined in the laughter.

Ichigo patted the side of the bed and moved a little to make room for Rukia to sit down. After he'd moved she sat gracefully on the side of the bed, legs dangling over the edge.

"I finally know what it's like to be alone" confessed Ichigo staring forward "To be in total darkness for so long, I was only out for a fraction of your time. I've gotta say Rukia, I admire your strength" He smiled and looked down. He heard her mutter his name quietly but ignored it. "I really wished that I had someone there with me, so that I wouldn't have to endure the quiet alone. I never thought I'd get a second chance altogether. I can't be grateful enough, thank you Rukia for saving me, you've shown me new things without even speaking a word. You must think I'm mad" He smirked at himself and felt the warm eyes of her lay deep into the side of his face. He looked up and caught her gaze, he continued to stare gradually losing his smile. "Rukia, tell me one thing, did you really mean it?"

The question caught her off guard for a moment and she stuttered "Me...mean what Ichigo?"

"Do you love me Rukia?" Ichigo didn't really know where he was getting all this courage from to ask her face to face.

He watched as he saw her face drop and sigh. "Yes Ichigo, but please listen to me befo..." She didn't have time to finish as Ichigos lips had stopped her mouth from moving. All words and thoughts had been dropped as the two linked. Ichigo kissed her with the up-most passion; he'd wanted this day to arrive for almost the whole of his life. Now his final and only dream was becoming a reality. He carried on giving and receiving kisses, it seemed that she'd wanted this just as much as he had. The love shared between the two was apparent as neither of them held back. It was everything Ichigo had hoped for, and more. The two carried on kissing, regardless of the time. They'd spent so much time apart from each other it made the joining that much sweeter. Rukia placed her hand on his cheek and closed her eyes feeling him move around her mouth with delicate expertise. The scent of him washed through her exciting her even more. Pulling away reluctantly and smiling, Ichigo whispered gently "I love you too, Rukia Kuchiki"

Breaking the silence, the door opened and a very frantic Renji burst through catching the two off guard. Pulling away the two jumped up awkwardly, pointed their fingers directly at him and yelled simultaneously:

"You saw nothing ok! NOTHING!"

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